It’s one of the most common questions that pastors are asked:
“If I get a tattoo, can I still go to heaven?”
The short answer is yes.
That being said, tattoos are something you should approach with care and consideration. Tattoos are permanent, which means you need to make sure that you’re making an informed decision about what you want and where you want it before taking the plunge.
Plus, scripture doesn’t talk much about getting tattoos at all, so we don’t have definitive answers on how God feels about them. With all this in mind, we’ve put together an article on some things to consider before getting a tattoo from both a spiritual perspective and an artistic perspective.
Does the Bible forbid tattoos?
There is no condemnation from God for those who have tattoos. The Bible does not forbid tattoos, nor does it say that they are a sin. Christians do not need to worry about whether or not their tattoos will keep them out of heaven when they die.
It should be noted that many tattoo artists are Christian and use the Bible as inspiration for their work, so it’s possible to get a tattoo that features an image from the Bible without getting one done by someone who doesn’t believe in Christ. However, even if you choose a Christian tattoo artist, there’s still no guarantee that your accession into heaven will be guaranteed simply because you have chosen to decorate your body with artwork from God’s Word.
There isn’t a direct commandment in the Bible that says, “Do not get tattoos.”
There isn’t a direct commandment in the Bible that says, “Do not get tattoos.” However, in the Old Testament, Leviticus 19:28 says:
“You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the Lord”
Experts believe that Leviticus 19:28 concerns the way Israelites should mourn the dead—and not how pagans do.
Although scholars disagree on whether this verse prohibits modern-day tattoos, most agree that tattoos do not prevent a person from entering heaven when that person dies.
Why do some people believe that getting tattoos is worldly?
Why would something seemingly as innocent as a tattoo be considered worldly?
Since the scriptures don’t specifically say why a tattoo is an abomination or why you won’t be able to enter into heaven if you have one. So where does this come from?
The reason many Christians believe that tattoos are wrong comes from Romans 1:23-25: “They exchanged the truth about God for a lie… That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires.” It goes on to say, “They refused to acknowledge God.”
So it’s not necessarily because of what’s being put into your skin by getting tattooed; rather it’s because of what’s being etched into your heart by getting those tattoos in the first place—that is what makes them worldly.
In the New Testament, there is no commandment forbidding tattoos.
In the New Testament, there is no commandment forbidding tattoos.
However, in one of Jesus’ many parables—the Parable of the Sheep and Goats—he tells us that “The one who has done his will stands firm forever.” This stands as a challenge to us all: if we have done our part to follow God’s will here on Earth (and if you have not yet done this, please read my article series “How To Be Good”), then we can be assured of eternal salvation when we die.
But what about those who do not accept Jesus as their Savior? What if they have committed sins against God? In that case, it would seem reasonable to assume that they cannot enter Heaven without first making amends for their sins—but how?
Fortunately for us all, God’s mercy knows no bounds; He even extends His grace through baptism! While baptism does not guarantee your entrance into Heaven (you must still live by His commandments), it rather ensures that you won’t be turned away at its gates because you were never properly baptized during your lifetime here on Earth.
Do tattoos violate treating the body as a temple of the Holy Spirit?
If you’re a Christian, you’ve probably heard the phrase “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.”
But what does that mean?
After all, we don’t worship our bodies—we worship God. And while it may seem strange to say that your body is anything other than just another part of who you are and what makes up your physical self, Scripture gives us some insight into how Christians should treat their bodies as sacred.
In 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (ESV), Paul writes:
“Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.”
Here he emphasizes how important it is for us to take care of our bodies because they belong to God and are holy temples where His Spirit dwells within us. It would therefore be wrong for someone to tattoo their body because doing so would be treating something holy with disrespect or carelessness by permanently altering it beyond recognition with something we might not like forevermore!
Nobody is going to hell because they have a tattoo.
Tattoos are not a sin. God doesn’t care what you look like on the outside. He cares about your heart.
God knows who His children are, and He won’t let them go to hell because they have tattoos.
The Bible says that “all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28). If you’re here reading this article, it’s because God wants to bless you with truth that will set your mind free! You can know for certain that the Lord loves us all no matter what our physical appearance may be or how many tattoos we have or how many piercings we might have in our ears or any other part of our bodies – even if they include ink!
Will people have tattoos in heaven?
Let’s think about what you’re asking. You want to know if people with tattoos will be welcome in heaven.
The short answer is that tattoos are irrelevant in heaven. If you have a tattoo, it’s not an issue; it won’t matter at all once people get there. They won’t care if they ever had one or got one while they were here on earth. So don’t worry about it! The important thing is that we all go where God offers us salvation—and then we’ll be able to live forever without any worries whatsoever when our time comes!
But what if someone has a tattoo now? Is there anything wrong with having been given the grace of God while still bearing the mark of sin (in this case, being covered with images)? It depends on how many times they’ve repented and asked forgiveness from God; only he knows whether someone has truly repented yet or not because he’s omniscient (he knows everything). If someone has genuinely repented many times over throughout their life though, then I would say no: having a tattoo does not mean that person isn’t good enough for heaven anymore than being born with brown eyes means brown-eyed people can never see again once they die.
Conclusion
The Bible offers some great advice on how to handle tattoos in the first place. It reminds us that our bodies are temples for God, and it tells us what our priorities should be as Christians. There are many reasons why getting a tattoo could be inappropriate, but there’s also no reason not to if you feel called by God to do it. It’s up to each person individually whether or not they want one—and whether they believe that God would approve of them having one!